Lost Souls Of Atlantis
by elemental of fire
Summary: The Sequel to Between Love And War. Master Chief and Major Rhea stumble upon a lost city with a terrible and dark secret. Can the two soldiers keep their feelings for each other a secret or will a new enemy try to tear them apart? More chapters to come!
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

**_The four beings stood silently watching the city of Atlantis beginning preparations for war against them._**

"**_Fools…" One of them spoke. His deep voice rumbled over the plains. His ancient dark eyes flashed maliciously. A scar ran across his left eye. A "gift" given from his youngest son Cronus, who stood beside him._**

_**Cronus did not look at his father and replied, "They have no idea what their up against. It is too easy. But why do we wait? Why not obliterate them now?!" **_

**_His father did not say anything, but the ancient woman behind him took a step forward and said, "We give mercy, remember that my son. The fault falls on one person, not all of them. Even your father knows that. We must wait for their redemption."_**

_**Cronus growled in frustration. Then he turned and his eyes sought for the woman standing very quietly beside him.**_

"**_What do you say, wife?" he spoke with a defiant air of annoyance. "Do you believe we should be weak and accept their apology? They have angered us! Their Gods!!"_**

**_Her long dark brown hair was tied back with gold ribbons that matched the gold ribbons on her perfect white dress and the beautiful gold ring on her wedding finger that was shaped to look like flames. Her bright blue eyes were saddened and were fixed to the lights of Atlantis._**

"**_Answer me, wife!!" Cronus grabbed her slender arms and turned her to face him._**

_**Her eyes held fear of him. And he used it to his advantage.**_

**_She pulled from his grasp and gave him an icy stare before saying, "I agree with Uranus and Gaia, Cronus. One mortal has caused this war, not the whole city!"_**

**_His power gathered around him until sparks of lightning crackled in the air. _**

**_He pointed his finger at the city and said in a menacing tone, "They choose to follow him!!"_**

_**She crossed her arms and replied, "Only because they see what their fate will be if they choose to defy him!! At least I have a heart to understand their silent plea for help!!"**_

_**No sooner had those words left her lips, did she wish to take them back.**_

_**Uranus' gaze of Atlantis broke to look at his son's face. Gaia looked ready to intervene if things got too out of hand. **_

_**Cronus' anger intensified as the air around him became thick. His wife took a step back and kept a fixed defiant look on her face. **_

"_**You're not going to frighten me into giving in to what YOU want again," she said calmly, although her voice betrayed fear.**_

**_Gaia stepped behind her son and said, "Stop this now Cronus! This is not helping!!"_**

_**Cronus ignored her and suddenly pushed his palms in the direction of his wife.**_

_**A wave of energy shot at her. She crossed her arms over her chest ready to block his attack. When it hit her, she was pushed back by the force but was relatively unscathed. **_

"_**You can't kill or hurt a God or Goddess, Cronus," rumbled Uranus' voice, "So save your energy."**_

_**Cronus looked at both of his parents, then at his wife.**_

"**_Fine!" Cronus lowered his hands, "But Atlantis' time is up. They must know the consequences of trying to destroy all of mankind! Their monsters have destroyed many worlds and now they have a weapon that will destroy everything other than their own planet! I say we strike now!!"_**

**_He turned to face Atlantis. Lightning crackled around him. Then with one almighty blast he fired his power towards the city._**

"_**No!!!" His wife yelled and ran in between him and his intended target.**_

_**The blast hit her in the chest and there was a huge explosion and everything went white.**_

_**Cronus, Gaia and Uranus shielded their eyes from the light.**_

_**Then slowly, the light faded.**_

_**The three immortals looked around.**_

"_**Where is she?" Gaia asked looking worried.**_

_**Cronus felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He fell to his knees where his wife stood only moments before. **_

**_He then noticed a small gold ring lying on the ground. He picked it up and brushed the dirt off it. _**

_**It was in the shape of flames. It was her wedding ring.**_

"_**No…" he murmured, "I couldn't of…"**_

"_**Look!!" Uranus' voice broke his thoughts.**_

_**He stood and looked where his father and mother were pointing too. **_

**_The city of Atlantis still stood untouched, but something seemed to be covering the city._**

_**A golden shield.**_

_**Cronus concentrated and felt his body disappear and then reappear next to the shield. His parents followed suit.**_

**_His placed his hand on the shield. It would not let him through. No matter how hard he pushed. He felt so much emotion in this shield. Love, regret, anger and fear. And then he felt…_**

"_**No…." he shook his head in disbelief.**_

_**Uranus and Gaia had also been inspecting the shield. **_

"_**This is her creation," Uranus said in awe, "She made this so we couldn't harm them."**_

"_**And so they couldn't leave nor have anyone enter," Gaia said sadly, "Not even us."**_

_**Cronus then seemed puzzled, "But you can't kill a God or Goddess!!"**_

_**He turned on his father, "You said it!! So what just happened?!"**_

**_Uranus was about to reply when they both felt Gaia wanting to say something._**

"_**She's alive," she said sadly.**_

**_Cronus looked at his parents with joy but their faces seemed to hold their sadness._**

"_**What? She's alive! That's great news!" Cronus said happily, "Where is she?!" **_

**_Uranus looked at Gaia and then said, "She is alive, yes. But where she is? We don't know, nor can we find out."_**

_**Cronus' smile faded, "But she's a Goddess. She can't hide from us."**_

"_**But she is no longer a Goddess Cronus," Gaia replied putting her hands on his shoulders to comfort him, "She's a mortal."**_

_**Cronus backed away from his mother's touch. Staring at her in disbelief.**_

"**_No…. she couldn't be," he said clutching the ring in his hand, "But our son Hades! He could make her immortal again!! And she'll try to return to Mount Olympus!"_**

"**_But we don't know where she is Cronus!" His father raised his voice, "And she won't return. Because she will not remember you, us or what happened."_**

_**Cronus stared at both of them. Then he looked at the large golden shield and then to the ring in his palm.**_

_**He knew what he was to do.**_

"_**I'll find you my love. Even if it takes thousands of years. I will find you, Rhea."**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1: Why Don't Men Ask For Directions?**

"Ouch….." Was the first thing I said when I woke. My head pounded like as if someone had pistol whipped me.

I rubbed my head and then concentrated on remembering who I was.

"I am Major Rhea 001 of the Earth's military," I said aloud.

_I had to make sure I was at least sane to begin with._

"Yeah well I knew that already," a voice from nearby spoke up.

I opened my eyes suddenly.

"What the…..?!" I exclaimed.

A young man sat on a neatly made single bed beside her own. He wore a blood red and gold tunic and matching pants. His blonde curly hair looked as if someone had tried to comb it. To no avail though. His blue eyes held a gaze of mischief.

It was Master Chief Spartan 117.

"Well aren't you the spitting image of a royal lord?" I said sarcastically.

He folded his arms and scowled at me.

_More like the splitting image of 4 year old child._

"Shut-up! There was nothing else to wear. Look what you have to wear." He replied.

He pointed to the end of my bed. I sat up and realized I was wearing a blue satin nightgown. I pulled the blanket off me and leaned over and looked at the garments lying on the end of my bed. A peacock blue silk dress along with undergarments had been laid neatly on the bed.

I looked up at Spartan. "There is no way I am wearing a dress!!" I exclaimed.

"It's either that or you're going naked." He smirked. "It's your choice."

It was my turn to scowl.

I stood up and grabbed the dress and underwear and walked across the room to a small ensuite. I walked in, closed the door and stopped.

I didn't recognize the bathroom. More importantly, I didn't recognize the bedroom either. Where were they?

The last thing I remembered before waking up here was me and Spartan aboard a Forerunners spaceship. The Ark. I remembered being captured by invisible creatures known only as The Abyss. I vividly remembered the excruciating pain as one of the creature's pushed its claws through flesh and bone and ripped something from my chest. All it appeared to be was like a ghostly white piece tissue. Yet it had grown into a full size copy of me. Yet very evil. It seemed bent on killing Spartan, which luckily hadn't fooled him.

And then he found me. And together we managed to send the Ark hurtling towards a blue giant star. But one thought still puzzled me. There was no way to get off the ship, other than an ancient transporter on board. I remember programming it ready to go, and then… nothing.

I thought really hard. What had happened? I couldn't recall anything that would've suggested of me getting into the transporter. Had I passed out from sheer exhaustion? Had one of those creatures attacked me while I was facing the computer?

Another thought came to her. Perhaps Spartan saw what happened. I know he wouldn't of let anything get to me with my back turned.

I looked back around the bathroom. It had perfect white tiles with gold and silver on every piece of metal. A beautiful large bath stood to one side, so did a small table with a water jug and bowl. A huge mirror completely adorned one wall.

I began to change my clothes. I then noticed my left wrist was still wrapped in an elastic bandage. I thought gravely. No one must know what lies underneath.

I dressed into my undergarments and then pulled on the dress. It was of a medieval style. Simple but elegant. The sleeves came down to my wrists and the hem to my ankles. Silver ribbons were wrapped around the bodice of the dress. I then stood back and gazed at myself in the mirror.

I looked very different. The dress suited me well enough, but it definitely didn't suit my personality.

I looked like a queen.

I reached back and undid my long brown hair. It showered over my shoulders in a tumble of curls. My bright blue eyes reflected back. I then noticed a silver brush lying on the small table. I picked it up and brushed my hair. I then noticed the small scar on my neck. A "souvenir" from an Elite with an energy sword on her first day on the Cairo Space Station.

I then opened the door and looked into the bedroom. The bedroom was also perfect white with gold and silver on everything. Two single beds sat next to each other. Spartan stood out like a sore thumb against the white.

He stood up at once, practically staring at me.

"What?" I asked, "Is there something wrong with the dress?"

I swirled around looking for a rip or some imperfection in the dress. But nothing.

I looked back at him and asked, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head and said, "Ah… nothing. You just look…very…different."

"Oh," I replied. "Was that it? I thought you were going to say I looked horrible in a dress."

I walked to the end of the bed. A pair of silver velvet slip ons was on the floor. I slipped my feet into them and then sat on the bed. I noticed Spartan's were gold.

"So…where are we?" I asked turning to look at Spartan.

He shrugged. "Beats me."

"Ok. How did we get here then?" I asked again.

He sat down on his bed and looked at me and said, "You remember that Transporter you were programming on the Ark? That's how we got off. All we needed was a destination. I just put in the last one that had been used."

That made sense. But how come I had no recollection of it?

"What happened to me? I remember up until what you just said. Did one of those things…" I asked hoping I hadn't been subjected to that awful pain again.

"No, none of them got past me. The computer overloaded and it electrocuted you and threw you back. I thought you might've been dead. When I woke up here, the first thing I did was to check if you were still alive," he replied.

His eyes held a glimpse of fear. But it disappeared as quickly as it came. Had she only imagined it?

"Well, thank you then. For saving my life. I believe I owe you one," I replied.

He waved the offer away. "No I believe were even, remember, you saved me on the Bridge with that Hunter. Why you would come back after the horrible things I said about you, escapes me. You fell to your death in an effort to save me. Or I had thought so anyway."

I stood up and walked to him. I carefully kneeled in front of him and took his hands in mine.

I took a deep breath and replied," I wouldn't leave a friend high and dry. That's if we are friends?"

He smiled and said simply, "Of course. I've never had a friend. A true friend that is."

I smiled and said," Me too."

He stood and helped me stand as well.

I gazed into his eyes. He looked back. Then very slowly he leant forward.

My heart quickened and my lips felt dry. I felt as if I was made of stone and couldn't move. His face kept coming closer. I could feel his hot breath on my face. I felt my body and soul ache with wanting him to kiss me, but my brain kept screaming that this was wrong. We are in the military, he holds a higher rank than I do, it's totally against the rules. All these excuses ran through my head.

"P-please," I murmured. If I pursed my lips just a trifle more, they might brush against his lips. I ached at the thought. "We mustn't"

His body suddenly tensed and hardened, as if supple plant matter had turned into unyielding metal.

With one sudden movement he released my hands and I stumbled backwards by the shock.

"I'm sorry," he said with his back turned to me," I don't know what made me do it. I promise I won't do it again."

He turned to look at me. His face was very red. I began to wonder if the regret for that aborted kiss blazed on my face as it ached on my lips.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door to our room.

Spartan and I stood there silently looking at each other. And then Spartan called out,

"Come in!"

The door opened and there stood a young man in emerald green. His hair was a silver blonde and his eyes were an icy blue.

He smiled. With perfect white teeth.

"Ah! You are awake and dressed. Please let me be the first to welcome you to The City of Atlantis."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2: A Goddess' Curse**

Rhea and I stood silently staring at the man.

"Atlantis?" Rhea suddenly questioned the man, "I thought that was a Greek myth. Known to have disappeared beneath the sea on Earth."

The man gave her a grin that made the hairs on the back of my neck shiver. He seemed to be giving her his most charming smile.

"And you are, my dear?" he asked silkily.

I turned to Rhea and noticed she had slightly blushed. I felt like gritting my teeth. I instantly didn't like this guy.

"I am Major Rhea 001 of the Earth's Military and this is Master Chief Spartan 117," she replied gesturing towards herself and me.

The man walked across to Rhea and took her left hand in his and gently kissed the back of her hand. Rhea's cheeks went a darker shade of pink.

The man lowered her hand but didn't let it go and said, "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Rhea. Let me introduce myself. I am Cain, King of Atlantis."

I snorted with laughter. Two annoyed sets of eyes looked at me. One icy blue and one bright blue.

"What's so funny Spartan? Please tell us," Rhea asked, she had let go of Cain's hand and had now crossed her arms across her chest beneath her breasts. I had stopped laughing and was now **trying** to keep my mind occupied with her question.

I looked at her and said, "How do we know he is really who he says he is? I mean, this could be an act to divulge information on the Earth's position? "

Cain walked around Rhea so he was between both of us and faced her, "Spartan is right in a way," he said plainly.

I felt as if my stomach dropped. He agreed???

Rhea appeared to look confused as well but Cain continued,"I need to prove that what I say is true. If you would permit me to take you both on a tour of the Palace and the City, then your Spartan will have no choice but to believe me."

Rhea looked at him and then at me. Her eyes flashed a challenge. Would I go with them and be proven wrong or simply cower in my room failing to accept the truth? I looked back at her and conveyed through my gaze that I accepted her challenge.

She looked back at Cain and smiled sweetly and replied, "Thank you, your Majesty. We accept your kind offer."

Cain grinned with that charming smile again and said, "Excellent! Please follow me closely. Don't want you getting lost."

He took Rhea's arm in his and led her from the room. I followed.

I stepped outside the room and found myself in a long corridor. There were giant white pillars stretching to the ceiling high above. I looked down the corridor to my left and found Cain and Rhea had walked a fair distance already. I quickly jogged to catch up just as the got to a large wooden door.

Cain stepped forward and knocked loudly on it. The door opened quickly and both Rhea and Cain walked in.

I then heard Rhea give a soft "oh!" I quickly walked in and looked for the source of her surprise. It didn't take long to realize what it was.

The room was magnificent. The ceiling looked to be four storeys high and the room was as big as a football field. Everything seemed to be made of marble. At the farthest end was a huge marble statue of a woman with her hair tied back and her dress seemed to be from Ancient Greece and she had no definite facial features. In front of the statue were two marble thrones.

"This is the Throne room," Cain suddenly spoke. His voice seemed to echo off the walls.

"It's beautiful!" exclaimed Rhea who was in absolute awe.

Rhea turned to look at me. I looked at her and said. "Yeah, it's nice. Who's the woman? The Queen?"

Rhea scowled but turned to face Cain who replied, "No, she is not. I am not married as of yet. That is known as the Goddess. She protects us with her magnificent golden shield."

"Golden shield?" I asked looking at the statue. It didn't appear to hold a shield. Its hands were together as if waiting patiently for something…..or someone.

"Where is this 'magnificent golden shield'?" I asked looking at Rhea and then at Cain.

Rhea looked at the statue and she seemed to be deep in thought. Cain gave a slight cough and she quickly snapped out of her revelry and he replied, "Look out the window."

Rhea let go of Cain's arm and walked halfway down the room. I followed behind her. She stopped at the window and gasped. I quickly joined her and looked out too. And gasped even louder.

A huge city lay below and beyond the Palace walls. It stretched for several kilometres before coming to an abrupt halt at, what could only be best described as, a magnificent golden dome shield. It stretched high above the city and palace and covered everything. It glittered red, pink and gold in the afternoon sunlight.

"It's so breathtaking," Rhea whispered as if her voice failed to behold this amazing sight.

She looked at me and I turned to her. She looked so beautiful in the fading light. I remembered when she first walked into the bedroom dressed in that beautiful dress. I couldn't take my eyes of her. How did she turn from a female intelligence soldier who wouldn't cower before the onslaught of a Hunter to a woman more beautiful than the Goddess, who shrank away at the first sight of intimate human contact?

I smiled at her and she gave me a shy smile and then quickly looked back out the window. I did the same. I hadn't meant to try and kiss her. Her breathtaking beauty and the fact that she was still alive after what happened on the bridge and the Ark made me care for her more. I **wanted** to protect her. But after she stopped me I then realized that she didn't feel the same way. How stupid was I?! No woman in their right mind would want someone like me.

A sudden low growl stirred me from my musings. I looked at Rhea who had covered her mouth with one hand to suppress a giggle. My stomach rumbled in hunger and Rhea's stomach made the same low growl as before.

Cain walked up behind us and said, "It sounds like someone is hungry."

I gritted my teeth still looking at the city. I had forgotten the royal pansy boy was even here.

Suddenly I felt a hand on my arm. Soft skin yet firm grip. I turned to look at Rhea.

She smiled at me and said, "I think we should eat something before we collapse."

I suddenly had thoughts of Rhea falling to the floor and not moving. Blood trickling slowly from a wound on the back of her head after colliding with the floor. Lividity slowly creeping through her making her as pale as a ghost. Her body lying limp in my arms.

My face must have betrayed my thoughts, Rhea's brow creased and her eyes seemed to rove restlessly over my face trying to find what was troubling me. I quickly pushed back the gruesome and painful thoughts and gave her a wry smile.

"You must be hungry. You look about ready to eat me!" I replied laughing.

Her gaze faltered and she seemed somewhat sad.

But before I could say anything, the royal pansy boy spoke again.

"Well let's get to dinner! There is an exquisite banquet prepared for you. Please follow me!" he announced and took Rhea's arm in his again without her permission and led her away. I quickly followed.

As I walked behind Rhea I noticed she held herself differently. She seemed to walk stiffly and her head was slightly bowed as if deep in thought. Had she found what she was looking for in my face? That I truly did care for her or that I feared for her safety? Or maybe she had realized that I was hiding something from her. Would she no longer trust me and then turn to Cain for support?

As I followed them out of the throne room and into another hallway I thought about this King of Atlantis. He had proven that he was telling the truth with him being king and everything, but there was something not right about him. It was like he had an aura of dark power around him. Could Rhea not feel it? Maybe because she had not felt corruption and betrayal before. Had not been surrounded by men who killed for bloodlust. She was too pure. She had only killed to protect when that Hunter had attacked me. She didn't know what it was like to kill one of your men who had been taken over by a Flood.

Cain seemed to be speaking to Rhea. She didn't reply much, must still be deep in thought. Then I realized something. Rhea and I were very different.

Maybe that's why I liked her. Because of the way she is, she made me feel there was a reason to live, to protect her. I remembered vividly the scene on the bridge. After she had fallen I felt I should've died too. I have lost too many good men and women over the years and I never felt anything like sorrow or pity for them. I pushed everything and everyone away. That was… until I met Rhea. Every boundary I put up, she seemed to knock down without realizing. I felt weak against her. I finally understood why. I was stronger than her in everything. But I wasn't strong minded. She broke down the titanium walls I placed around my heart but what hurt worse was that she didn't look inside. She didn't realize that she left my heart vulnerable and with an insatiable appetite.

I suddenly bumped into the back of Rhea. She had stopped walking and I was too caught up in my thoughts to notice it. I looked up to see what had stopped her.

Cain had opened a door and there, as he promised, was a huge feast. I could feel my mouth water and my stomach growl in protest. The table it sat on looked to seat fifty people. Its cutlery, plates, goblets were all made of gold.

Cain took a seat at the head of the table. As Rhea and I followed, two servant men dressed in yellow and blue pulled out a chair each for them. Rhea sat on the right of Cain; I sat to the left, opposite her. The table, though very long wasn't very wide. I felt Rhea's shoe rubbing against my shin.

Cain nodded to the servants and they quickly walked out of the room. Then he said, "Please, eat! The food here is excellent I assure you."

Rhea looked at me and I shrugged. If the food was poisoned, then it would kill both me and Rhea. I highly doubted Cain wanted to do that.

I reached forward with my knife and fork to what looked like roasted chicken and broke a wing off. I placed it on my plate and took a tentative bite from it. The flavour was spicy.

Rhea watched me intently. She must have been thinking about poison in the food too. She hadn't made a move towards the food yet.

I nodded in approval and said, "This is very well done, your majesty."

I had thought since I was already on Rhea's bad books for not believing Cain in the first place, I might as well show I had some manners. Even if I didn't like him.

Rhea, who now was certain the food wasn't poisoned, quickly heaped every bit of food she could fit on her plate and with a graceful quickness quickly began eating. I followed suit, but not so gracefully. Cain also filled his plate too.

There was very little small talk while we were eating. Twice Rhea asked for the gravy and several times I asked for Cain to pass the salt. To which he did.

Once we finished I leant back on my chair. My stomach was now satisfied with what it had been given. Rhea was wiping the little bit of gravy she had around her mouth with a napkin.

"Ah…hem," Cain suddenly said. Rhea and I looked up.

Cain continued, "I hope you enjoyed your meal. I just wish to ask that when you retire to bed did you want a private room for the each of you?"

He seemed to watch for Rhea's reaction to the question. She sat deep in thought and looked at the table. Without sudden I felt her ankle brushing the inside of me calf. I stifled a cry. Her ankle kept rubbing up and down against my leg. The motion of leg was both ticklish and arousing. She must have been bouncing her leg up and down trying to think of an answer to his question and she didn't realize it was rubbing against me. I started thinking of every gory battle I had ever been in. It slowly began working.

Suddenly Rhea replied, "We thank your generosity, but I think it would be best if we stayed in the same room. You must understand that we are still daunted by this new place and so we wish to understand it together first."

I mentally sighed in relief. When I had tried thinking of an answer to his question, my mind went blank.

Cain turned to me and I nodded.

The king stood and replied, "Very well. I understand. Now, your bedroom is just out that door…," he pointed to a door behind Rhea, "and just down the hallway, second door to the right. Sleep well."

With that, he walked out a door on the opposite side of the room.

Rhea and I stood and walked out the door we were told to go and followed the king's directions.

We found our room and walked in. A candle next to the bed dimly lit the room. The beds were neatly made and warmed with hot bed pans. Our bedclothes were folded neatly on the ends of our beds. I quickly changed into long red and gold satin pants in the bathroom and then sat down on my bed while Rhea changed. Two minutes later she emerged dressed in the blue satin nightdress and her long hair braided. She sat down on her bed and swung her legs on the bed and under the blanket. I did the same thing.

As she was about to blow the candle out, a question that had been bugging me all day suddenly come to mind.

"Rhea?" I asked as she leaned to over snuff out the flame.

She stopped and raised an eyebrow waiting for my question.

"How do you think we'll get home?" I asked.

She looked at me with a sad face and replied before blowing the flame of the candle out, "I can't answer that Spartan. For I don't know either."


End file.
